How to make the most of Black Friday deals

People either happily ignore it or embrace it in all its frenzied glory.

Dan de Grandpre, founder of dealnews.com, offered some insight into what shoppers should expect on Friday and the Monday after Thanksgiving, the day many people hit the online stores.

Here are his best tips for shopping those two days:

CHECK ONLINE

Before you set out for that Black Friday shopping trip, check the store's online sites for deals. De Grandpre says many stores will be offering the same merchandise and discounts in their online stores as their brick-and-mortar shops. Checking online first will save you the aggravation and hassle of venturing out to the mall.

CYBER MONDAY

Cyber Monday will be the day to get deals at online-only stores like overstock.com and buy.com. Smartbargains.com, JoS. A. Bank, Discovery Channel and HSN are some other places to check out on Monday. The stores that are normally the stars on Black Friday, like Wal-Mart and Kohl's, also will have Cyber Monday sales, but they won't be as good as their Black Friday deals.

WAIT ... MAYBE?

Normally, de Grandpre and other retail experts say Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the best days to shop for the holidays. But this year, retailers are more desperate than ever so there's a good chance that prices will continue to drop. In fact, many retailers are counting on a lucrative Thanksgiving weekend. If it doesn't happen, you may be seeing liquidation sales.

GO GADGETS

The best products to buy on Black Friday will be electronics, such as low-end TVs and laptops.

- De Grandpre predicts that shoppers will be able to snag 50-inch plasmas and 46-inch LCD TVs for under $1,000. You'll also find some basic, lower-priced TVs for around $300.

- GPS navigation systems made by Garmin and Tom Tom will be around $100.

- Apple will have one of its best sales of the season, de Grandpre says. Most of its merchandise -- from iPods to laptops -- will be marked down.

- Best Buy is offering 10 percent off Apple gear to add a little competition for the Apple stores.

JEWELRY

If you're in the market for high-end jewelry like an engagement ring, de Grandpre says to shop online first at sites like ice.com, diamond.com and bluenile.com, print out their prices and deals and take them to your local jeweler. They may be in a position to match the deal.

GIFT CARDS?

Be careful with mail-in rebates and gift cards. Not to be too doom-and-gloom, but you never know which retailer will go under next. A gift card or rebate may become worthless if the retailer goes bye-bye.